New World
by The Deed is Done
Summary: When King Bradley decides he wants to explore the rest of the ocean, what will happen when Edward is sent with a group of elite alchemists? Xover with ?
1. Bradley's Decision

Disclaimer applies for every chapter. I do **_NOT_** own Fullmetal Alchemist. If I did, I would've been rich by now. Oh, and don't make fun of me or Nataki for this pitiful attempt to write a fanfiction.

"It's decided then, I'll send out some ships to explore the ocean.," Fuhrer Bradley stated with a smile.

Some of the other officers looked at him worriedly. "Are you sure this is a good idea? For all we know, it could be just a waste of time and resource," General Haruko asked.

The Fuhrer nodded and said, "I've made up my mind. The ocean's never been fully explored before. If we're lucky, we might find something out there. Like gold, or another civilization to set up trade with. Who knows?" Murmurings of discussion were started around the room.

"What are your orders, sir?" asked a nameless officer, finally.

"I want a few companies of soldiers and a group of elite State Alchemists head out to see. If they find anything, I want them to report back and await my orders. Dismissed!"

All the officers stood up and saluted to Bradley before leaving to do the set task.

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"What do you mean I have to go out to sea?!"

Colonel Mustang waited until the teenager was finished fuming before saying, "He did say a group of elite alchemists were required to go. You are an elite, though not the highest in rank."

"Why can't you go instead?"

"I'm required to stay to deal with the sudden increase in crimes and robberies here. And because you're constantly journeying around looking for the Philosopher's Stone, I'd think this would give you something to do other than that," the colonel retorted with a smirk.

Edward growled under his breath before finally replying, "Fine. You win. But you owe me something for this, Mustang."

And then he left the 'bastard's' office with a huff and slammed the door behind.

A suit of armor, who was standing outside the door, immediately confronted the vertically challenged alchemist, "What did he want, Nii-san?"

"The bastard said that some military personnel and a group of 'elite' alchemists, including me, are suppose to be heading out to sea soon to look for who knows what!" shouted Ed, catching the attention of some onlookers.

The suit of armor nodded, "I'll go get our things packed, Nii-san."

Suddenly, the alchemist stopped. "Al... you can't go with me..."

Alphonse suddenly focused all of his attention to his brother, "But why?" he asked silently.

Ed continued walking, his brother closely trailing him, "Mustang said military personnel only. That means you can't come Al."

"But what about the-" Al began.

But Edward had cut him off, "Since I won't be around to do it, I guess you'll have to look for it without me."

"But I can't do it alone! What if something happens and you won't be there to help? Or what if something happened to you and _I_ can't do something about it?" Al's voice sounded like he was about to cry.

"Don't worry, Al," Second Lieutenant Havoc answered from out of no where. "The only thing he's gonna need help with is to reach things on high shelves."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP WHO NEEDS SEVEN FLIGHTS OF STAIRS TO REACH A SHELF?!" yelled Edward with his trademark exaggeration.

"Calm down, I'm here just to tell you that your train's gonna be leaving in about a week." Then Havoc left quickly to avoid the rest of Ed's wrath.

After a few brief moments, he finally simmered down. He sighed once and turned to his brother, "Looks like I'm going to have to pack soon... But until then, let's do a little more research so you can get a headstart."

Al nodded sadly, "Right."

The Elric brothers left for the library together.

AN: Sorry it's short. I'm not sure I'm going to continue it, depending on everyone's opinion. My next chapter, hopefully, will be Ed's journey to the sea. Review please and go easy, this is the first fiction I've ever posted. Also, be honest and when posting, give me some advice to make it even better. That would be very appreciative.

After about, I don't know, 15 reviews, I will either post the second chapter or not. Remember, it all depends on you guys. And tell me if there's any grammar mistakes, I need to know what I need to work on.

THANKS!!


	2. Imaim

AN: I know I said after 15 reviews, but I think no one's really going to read it afterwards so I'm gonna go ahead and post the second chapter of New World.

The train whistle let out a lone mournful cry before it started to slowly move forward. Ed pressed his face against window, gazing at Al who was waving solemnly at him. Whilst watching Al slowly disappear, Edward waved back, not even sure the suit of armor had even seen him. He slunk back into his seat, depressed and not knowing what to do for the rest of the time.

The whole train was practically crawling with soldiers, all wearing blue uniforms. Feeling out of place, Ed decided to sleep for the whole ride. That is until a private walked up to him. The soldier had black hair and brown eyes with similar haircut to the company he knew back in Central. "Sir, you need to wear your uniform."

"Why now?" the clearly annoyed alchemist queried with a scowl.

"Fuhrer's order, sir!"

Sighing, Ed complied with the private's demand. He went to his trunk and started to fish out clothes, wondering if Al had packed his uniform. Apparently he had.

After changing into it, he laid down on his seat and took his previously planned nap.

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"Major Elric, sir! We're here!" yelled the private from earlier. Ed opened one eye before slowly getting out of the slightly uncomfortable seat. Stretching for a bit, he then proceeded to grab his trunk.

"Are you following me, or something?" the alchemist asked suddenly.

"Uh, no, sir. Didn't anyone tell you? I'm assigned to you as your subordinate."

Ed raised one eyebrow, "Is that so? No one told me about lugging around a dead weight with me... What's your name?"

"Private John Ziko, sir," he said before adding, "And, I'm not a dead weight."

"Maybe," Ed finally replied before finally starting down the aisle. "Do you feel a little embarrassed with having me as your superior?"

"Uh, somewhat. You ARE younger than me after all, not that it's a bad thing," Ziko paused before continuing, "I've heard a lot of stories about you, sir. I just didn't expect you to be so... young." The private had stumbled around with the right words about his superior. His cousin had told him that he had a bad temper when it came to his height. Ziko was wise to listen.

"Well, yeah, I sorta get that a lot from the people I meet."

As the pair stepped outside, they found themselves in a bustling port city. "Where are we, Ziko?"

"I think we're in Imaim, sir."

Edward nodded before following the mass of soldiers heading to one part of the city. A man of high rank, possibly a general, was standing on a podium in the middle of the city.

"State Military!" he called out, "You will be here for two days waiting for the rest of the companies to arrive. Until then, you will all stay at the hotel downtown. Also, you are free to roam the city until the day comes, but you will have to use your own money. No exceptions. And civilian clothing is allowed, but we expect you all to be back in uniform on the day of departing. That is all, dismissed!"

The military began to disperse, each having their own agenda. Ed began to leave too, wanting to explore the city.

"Wait for me, sir!" Ziko yelled, trying to catch up with the short teenager.

Ed turned to yell, "Do whatever you want, private, I'm not in control of you!" He then faced forward and took off.

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After wandering around, the State Alchemist found himself sitting in a library, reading various non-fiction books. Currently, he was reading a book on elemental alchemy.

_Elemental Alchemy is used by advance alchemists for various purposes. For example, fire is a destructive element. Therefore should be used as a weapon. For those interested, a form of fire alchemy could be ignition gloves. Building tension, then releasing it in a form of snapping causes the friction to ignite a spark. An alchemy array on the back of the glove can then be used to feed it oxygen, turning a small spark into a roaring inferno._

Ed scowled, the book reminded him of Mustang. Turning the page, he skipped to the history chapter.

_The beginning of Elemental Alchemy started with a group. They were very much skilled in the form and used it for mischief. They set villages on fire, drowned some livestock, held up people, and more. Eventually, the law caught up and had them exiled by boat, never seen again._

_As time passed on, the art of Elemental Alchemy improved-_

Ed closed the book and checked his pocket watch. "It's late," he mumbled to himself. "I need to get back soon." And with that he placed the book back where he found it and left the library, making his way to the hotel to sleep and eat.

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The sun beamed down from the hotel window, almost obnoxiously. With a growl, Edward sat up and got ready for the day.

Afterwards, he decided to spend his time strengthening himself. He picked up a book and bottle of water before he left. While exploring yesterday, he had found a remote lot and kept it bookmarked in his head. Now, he returned and started fighting an imaginary opponent, blending it with some alchemy skills.

An hour later, he sat down to take a break and transmuted the lot back to normal. He opened the water bottle and ravenously drank from it. It was then that he noticed that he had amassed a group of children. Staring at them, Ed couldn't decide what to do. So, the kids stared right back at him.

"Uh... Is there a particular reason why you guys are all staring at me?"

Silence answered for them. Being a little anxious, "I would appreciate if you would leave me alone, to train."

They all looked at themselves before standing up and leaving. Only the most stubborn stayed behind, with a determined look, "We want to see you fight!"

Running his hand through his hair, he sighed. Ed had never expected this to happen, but hey; he was the one who chose to practice out in public. "Fine, but you guys have to leave after I'm done. Promise?"

"Promise!" they shouted back with enthusiasm

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After about three hours of training, with breaks in between, Ed finally was finished and the kids left.

"You're quite the crowd magnet, sir."

The alchemist turned around quickly, "Oh, it's only you, Ziko. You scared me for a second there."

The private shifted around his feet for minute, "Yeah... It's because my part of the family tend to be quiet and unnoticeable."

Ed, looking thoughtful, commented, "You sort of remind me somebody... Never mind, let's get something to eat." He yawned loudly, "Tomorrow, we're going to have to get up early, so I plan on going to bed soon. What about you?"

The private nodded, "I guess I will too, sir."

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The next day, the military began loading them onto three ships. There were no specific orders on which to board so Major and Private picked a random one and stepped onto it.

Soon, the ships jerked forward and began their maiden voyage out to sea, occasionally bouncing from the impact of the waves. On the stern, Ed was looking at the strip of land that was slowly disappearing. He sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time this week and started thinking on how Al, or even Winry, was doing. Suddenly, he was jerked down by the back of his neck.

"Who let a kid on here?" shouted the person who had so cruelly gotten his attention.

A vein started pulsing on Ed's forehead, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PINT SIZED SHRIMP WHO CAN ONLY BE SEEN THROUGH A SUPER MICROSCOPE?!?!"

A vein, in return, appeared on the man's forehead, "DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO?!" he yelled back.

"HOW THE F--- SHOULD I KNOW, DUMBASS?"

"YOU"RE DEALING WITH A DRILL SERGEANT HERE, KID!"

"AND YOU"RE DEALING WITH A STATE ALCHEMIST HERE, MORON!"

The man was taken back, "How could someone as young and small as you be a state alchemist?"

"YOU WANT PROOF, SMARTASS?! HERE!" Ed took his pocket watch out and held it up triumphantly.

The Drill sergeant looked at Ed quizzically, "What's your second name, kid, that is, if you really are with the state?"

Edward regained his composure and said with a smirk, "I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist."

_AN: I made it quite longer than I did last time, huh? There's something in here that I took from the Real World. _

_I want to see how long it takes you guys to figure this out. _


	3. We have a problem

The sergeant studied him closely before going into a feeble salute, "Sorry… sir," apologized the man, the bitterness clear in his voice.

Ed nodded, the smirk still plastered onto his face. Eventually, the man left, ashamed, and Ed was free to go back into thoughts.

_I wonder how Al and Winry are doing…_ he thought to himself. _Winry's probably working on some automail… Mechanic freak._

_And I bet Al's doing research on the Philosopher's Stone… Those thoughts were obvious enough. I wonder why even thought of them._

_Maybe I should do some equations in my mind? Probably. Alright the chemical makeup of a tree is…_

He stood there all day, listing equations off the top of his mind, not really caring about the time.

"Excuse me, Major Elric?"

The alchemist turned around, "Need something, Ziko?"

"They're serving food in the mess hall. I thought you would like to eat, sir."

Just then, Ed's stomach growled rather noisily. He gave a small halfhearted smile, "Now that you mention it, I AM hungry…"

In almost no time, Ziko and Ed arrived at the mess hall. While Ziko was eating quietly and politely, Ed was tearing into the food like a starved dog. Afterwards, everyone headed to their respective bunks to sleep off the food and spend the night.

* * *

Three months later…

Everyone groaned at their breakfast, fish. Again. Normally, no one would really mind, but now's not normally. Fish, fish, and even more fish were the last six days' meals. But the bright side was that they had alchemists on board which means fresh water. But a group of alchemists can only make so much water to feed an entire army…

Ed was beginning to show signs of seasickness. But, then again, seeing anyone turning green and then rushing to the side of the ship had been common. If they didn't hit land soon then, as Ed would put it, they were pretty much screwed.

As of right now, the alchemist was preparing to transmute more freshwater to drink alongside other alchemists. He clapped both hands and placed them on two buckets of sea water in front of him. A bright blue light was emitted before one bucket was filled with salt and the other with fresh water. A soldier carried away and another bucket in front of him. He repeated the process and waited for the next bucket to come along. Suddenly, a soldier tripped and splashed salt water all over the short alchemist as well as smudging the array of the alchemist right next to him.

"Sorry, sorry!!" the soldier exclaimed. She knew someone had tripped her, she just didn't know who.

Ed looked up from his current predicament. If he didn't do something soon, his automail might rust on him. On normal circumstances, it would be okay, but if the machinery inside is rusted, he couldn't do anything about it. But he couldn't leave now, the soldiers were practically dieing of thirst. Leaving to take care of his arm might cost someone's life.

Sighing, he had no choice but to continue transmuting. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw the sergeant from the first day. Anger boiled in him as he quickly made the deduction of the man tripping the soldier to spill water all over him.

But being as it is, Ed said nothing and continued transmuting until he was exhausted himself. This was about five hours later. Then, with Private Ziko's help he gradually made his way back to his bunk where the alchemist tried to rid of the effects of rust.

Ed scowled intensely, it's too late. The sea water had already seeped into his arm and leg. The automail would probably stop working in about a few days or so… And then he would lose the use of his right arm and left leg until he could find an automail mechanic… God, he needed Winry.

* * *

Over the course of the week, Ed did eventually lose the use of his right arm. He could tell when his arm or leg would start acting up and would not move. Or it would just not react fast enough. The good news was that he could still perform alchemy without an array, but the bad news was that, one, there was dull painful throbbing in his shoulder constantly, two, he had to limp around on one leg, and, three, he couldn't do any work that required two hands or the ability to run.

He wasn't the only one who noticed his health. His peers had noticed as well as his subordinate. After dinner, one night, Ziko had walked up to him, "Sir, is there a problem with your arm or leg?"

Ed nodded painfully. For some unknown reason, he had begun to grow warmer over the past few days. Now he felt like burning inside. "Yeah, it's nothing though…"

"Nothing, sir? You seemed to have lost the use of your arm and your leg… I'm just worried."

Another nod, "I… understand, Ziko. The thing is, my right arm and left leg are made of metal. Hence the title of 'Fullmetal Alchemist,'" Ed lifted the sleeve of his uniform to show Ziko. "About a few days ago, salt water was spilled onto me, right into my arm and leg. Sea water, with its chemical compounds, causes metal to rust faster. By the time I got to fixing them, it was already too late. My arm and leg went out just today…"

Ed swayed forward suddenly, and then collapsed in the hallway. "Major Elric, sir, are you alright?!" Ziko crouched down close to him.

A weak shake of his head answered the private. "Wait here, sir. I'll go get help." Ziko took off and disappeared around a corner. Edward, on the other hand, was slowly losing consciousness. The world kept on focusing then blurring repeatedly, causing the dizzy young major to empty the contents of his stomach onto the hallway. It was then that he noticed the group of men and women gathered around him. Again, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the sergeant. He was smirking at Ed's pain.

But the alchemist was sure he didn't cause this. At least not directly…

AN: That was a nice chapter. I'm really not sure about the salt water rust thing… Please inform me if it's true or not. Either way, let's just say it does. Next, chapter will be about Ed's sickness and the appearance of a familiar face. Review please and I'll try my best to update faster!

* * *

Nataki: Can I have a cookie?"

Not now Nataki. Later, when I have time.


	4. What is that?

"So, what's wrong with him, doctor?"

"He has low blood pressure… probably received with dehydration." The voice added, "Has he drunk any water lately?"

A slight hesitation was in the other's voice, "Uh… Major Elric has been transmuting water for the entire ship… I think he only got a sip or two. The rest of it was most likely taken by the soldiers."

"Ah… I see," the voice said. "Well, if we can get him something to drink and an automail mechanic, he _should_ be alright."

"So, are there any automail experts on board?"

"No, I've checked with every technician, engineer, and mechanic on this ship. None of them seem to know how to fix automail or even make some new ones."

"Oh… Well tell me when he responds. I'll be trying to contact the other ships."

"Good idea."

* * *

"Hey, Ed, wake up."

A bright light shined down, almost blinding him. But the silhouette of the person who was speaking to him seemed familiar. After sifting the memories that were still latched onto his mind, he said, "Winry?"

"Yes, now wake up so I can do your automail, alchemy freak."

The dizziness still there, Ed slowly got up and looked right at Winry. She was dressed in her mechanic's clothes. "W-what are you doing here?! I thought this was an only military personnel expedition!"

Her face scowled, "Don't remind me why I'm here. Now, about your automail…"

Panic was written on Ed's face, "Wait! I can explain, Winry! There was salt water spilled all over me and I-"

"YOU GOT SEA WATER ALL OVER MY PRECIOUS AUTOMAIL!?!"

"It was an accident, I swear! There were thirsty people and I couldn't let them all dry up so I-"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER, YOU MORON!! YOU SHOULD'VE ASKED FOR A MECHANIC EARLIER SO I COULD'VE FIXED IT FOR YOU!!"

Ed cowered under Winry's wrath, "I didn't know you were on board and I didn't think there would be anyone of your level here either."

Her face softened a little, "Anyone of my level, huh? Meaning, you weren't able to find anyone of my skills on all three ships. Which also translates into: I'm the best mechanic around!"

A sigh of relief from the alchemist, "Yes, whatever you say, Winry."

"Alright then," said the mechanic, in a good mood, "let's get started."

Ed nodded and took off his jacket. Holding his breath, he braced himself as Winry quickly, but carefully, unlatched his arm. A fresh jolt of pain coursed through him before finally coming back to the dull throb. The young mechanic then took off his leg, "Alright, you're going to have to wait here for a few days or so."

"A few days?!" exclaimed the alchemist.

"What do you think? It's to clean out the salt and water in there and fix the machinery. Afterwards, _you_ have to take off the rust. We don't want to get my precious automail all rusty now do we? Otherwise, you and Mr. Wrench will have a little chat," she said threateningly.

"No, that's… okay."

Winry smiled, "Right, I'll get it done as soon as possible."

* * *

Two days later…

Ziko stared at the horizon, hoping to find land. He was hungry and partly dehydrated due to the shortage of food and water. Down below, Major Elric was probably in a worse condition than he was.

More staring followed for the next few minutes as he started to sweat. Looking toward the sun, he shielded his eyes and started to mentally complaining before resetting his vision to the horizon. _Great, _he thought. _Now my eyes are playing tricks on me! _He thought some more as he noticed a group of small black dots. After rubbing his eyes, he looked at it again. It didn't disappear.

Now nervous, he fumbled around for a spy glass and eventually found one. After focusing the lens, he saw they were a fleet of ships. War ships. In shock, he fell back and started toward the general's cabin. After knocking on the door, a weathered old face appeared, "What is it you want, private?" he asked sternly.

Saluting, as a sign of respect, he relayed quickly, "Sir, I think I see a fleet of war ships."

"What?!" General Stryker exclaimed before heading out onto deck and seeing proof for himself. He turned yelling to no one in particular, "Battle stations, men! We've got unidentified war ships heading straight for us. Someone alert the _King _and the _Pride_!!"

There was immediate panic onboard as everyone rushed to fulfill the old general's orders. Canons were manned, torpedoes were readied, and the _King _and _Pride_ were alerted. In just a few panicky moments, the expedition was ready to defend for its life.

Meanwhile, down below, Winry had finished up on Ed's leg automail. It was all shiny after the rust was gone and looked ready to be used. While sitting in an upright position, the short alchemist let out a hiss of pain as his nerves were suddenly connected to artificial ones.

"Great," the mechanic sighed, "now all I have to do is finish up your arm and then you'll be back up in no time!"

On deck, Ziko watched as the humongous fleet came closer and closer. He held his sniper rifle at ready, putting it on full zoom as he searched for his first victim. Finding it, he held it at ready. Unless the other fires a shot, he wouldn't shoot. But, as if on cue, a large flaming fire ball went their way. The private used this opportunity to strike, killing his first man. Several canons and torpedoes were fired, sinking four war ships.

An alchemist was smart enough to get close to the water, then, with a pre-drawn array, she made a tidal wave tall enough to subdue the fire ball. But, as a consequence, she was entirely fatigued. A small band of alchemists decided to help her and did what they could.

Ed and Winry, who were still below, had came out to see the commotion. What they saw confused them. Men and women were shouting as canons were firing and sniper rifles were shot. Both of them duck when the ship to the left of them, exploded from the impact of a fireball. Debris went flying as everyone panicked. They wouldn't stand a chance against their attackers. Everyone onboard was tired, hungry, and thirsty. There was no chance for victory. None at all.

Closer and closer, still, loomed the crimson black ships, their flag flying high and mighty in the air. Embroidered onto the flags, was a simple picture of a flame.

AN: I originally had a different storyline. I pictured them landing onto shore _then_ meeting their attackers… But I decided not to afterwards… I even wrote the next chapter for it… Hopefully, you'll know what the crossover is with, now.


	5. Captured

AN: For those of you who guessed Pirates of the Caribbean, you were wrong. I'm sorry but I've never even watched the movie before so, again, I apologize if you had your hopes high about this.

Already, there was one ship of the expedition left… But, the only good news comes from the fact they had already taken down more than six war vessels. On deck on the _Justice, _everything was in turmoil. There were people who were laying dead right on the ship, while some of the survivors from the other two ships were in water. It didn't make it any better when the war ships came close enough to board them.

To close in the distance, a giant harpoon was shot out and pierced the side of the _Justice_. Any hope the people had onboard, was quickly extinguished. Soldiers from the opposing side boarded the ship dressed in black-red armor. Some wielded primitive weapons such as halberds, swords, and spears while others wielded no weapons. Instead these unarmed men shot fire out of their hands, feet, and even mouths whenever they punched, kicked, or breathe in deeply.

The Amestrian soldiers had now taken on their own short ranged weapons. The higher rankings, such as General Stryker, had drawn a rapier or sword depending on their status while anybody else either took out a rifle, handgun, or combat knife. Ed himself was armed with a handgun, the closest weapon nearby. His mechanic, although, was quite content with using her tools and wrench to take care of things for herself. On the other hand, Ziko held an AK-47, fully loaded.

But, during the commotion, the alchemist and his mechanic were separated due to the intensity of the action, leaving the two alone to defend his or her self. Winry was actually doing fine, knocking out soldiers as she went. Her childhood friend, however, was not. After years and years of learning how to use alchemy, Ed and his brother never once lifted a gun, so he lacked marksmanship and eventually the whole clip was spent. Tossing the gun aside, with his remaining arm, he drew an array on the ground using the blood of a nearby man. Activating it, the steel on the ship wrapped itself around the legs some of his enemies, sealing their deaths if the ship were to sink.

* * *

A black armored soldier fell into the sea as his skull, though protected by a helmet and a white mask, collided with a steel wrench. Winry whistled at her work as she quickly went to retrieve her beloved tool. As she bent down to pick it up, a gloved hand shot out and grabbed her wrist, nearly dislocating it. The mechanic panicked and started to swing her wrench at the head and instead collided with the soldier's hand. He let out a yelp and released her, giving Winry an opportunity to strike. 

The man reacted quickly though, he dodged the flying screwdriver and punched the air, sending out a flying mass of fire. Sidestepping just in time, the mechanic singed her hair slightly. But the attack had shocked and scared her, now the window of opportunity was open to the pyrokinetic warrior. A blast was sent out using both hands, flying straight at the girl. Finally snapping out of it, she started to make a run for the corner, thinking of using it as shelter when the blast came.

* * *

Private Ziko dodged left and right as blasts of fire flew right next to him. Retaliating, he brought up his rifle and fired three shots successfully, hitting two out of three. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the silhouette of a figure sneaking behind him in the reflection of the ocean. He turned around immediately and started attacking him with the butt of his gun. Suddenly, the sun was blocked by the outline of a pyrokinetic warrior. But the warrior was knocked back when Major Elric, who had just appeared, transmuted a wall right in front of the private, saving him. 

After a brief acknowledgement using nods, they went right back to fighting. That is, until there was an armored pyrokinetic shouting at the two. He was holding Winry hostage with a knife pressed against her throat. There was a gesture to drop their weapons, which they did so. Then, the soldiers around them quickly bound and gagged them, all the time talking in some other language.

* * *

It was over half an hour later. The expedition had been wiped out saved for the approximate thirty of three hundred soldiers who had survived. Their fate was now in the hands of their enemy. 

After a lot of struggle, Ed, Winry, and Ziko arrived at one of the enemy's vessel. The fate of the other men and women were unknown, sadly. They were shoved into a kneeling position as their captors pulled their head back, making them look into the eyes of who, supposedly, is the commander.

There was some conversation between their captors and the commander, lasting some time before the man made some gestures and walked away, signaling the discussion was over. Then they were immediately yanked onto their feet and marched to the door that led down below. It was very dark as they walked down the stairs. Maybe it was a little too dark as Winry slipped slightly before recovering her balance.

After reaching a certain point, the way was illuminated by dim torches, adding an eerie feeling to the place. They stopped in front of a prisoner cell and started to chain their prisoners in. By the time their captors were done, Ed, Winry, and Ziko were shackled in a standing position, hands held up in the air to prevent Ed from transmuting anything. After admiring their work, the soldiers left them alone in the bright darkness.

For a while, none of them spoke, not knowing what to say to each other. Finally, Ed was the first one to say something, "Are you okay, Winry?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

There was some movement, probably a nod, "I think so..."

Another pause followed, "What will happen now?" Ziko queried.

No one could answer that.

AN: Finished! Now remember, this is my first post…


	6. In the New World

AN: Remember, I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist as stated in the first chapter. Also, I do not own the world I am crossovering this with either. I do, however, own Private Ziko, General Stryker, and misc.

Three days had passed in the gloom of the cell. Three days of no sunlight or fresh air. Three days with only water and bread to live on. Three days of being interrogated in a different language. And three days of being chained and gagged. Just enough time to reach the nearby shoreline of the soldiers' homeland.

If anyone were to look at the three, they would seem almost unrecognizable. Filth and grime covered their torn clothes and hair. Bruises and burns dotted their bodies from interrogation, but at the very least, they still looked like Edward Elric (his hair was out of its customary braid), Winry Rockbell, and John Ziko. That was the only good thing down here.

But, soon, they would be out of the darkness again.

* * *

They heard the sound of the deck door opening and closing. The three captives, immediately assumed it was around noon time, when they get fed. It was not the case. A black-armored man with a white mask appeared and opened the cell door, walking inside with four others. After untying them, the pyrokinetic soldiers ushered them out onto deck where the sun ferociously blinded them.

"Never would've thought the sun can be so welcoming yet so hurtful…" Edward remarked, eyes half closed while his friends silently agreed.

They were marched down the ramp and shoved into a group of expedition survivors. There was a man on a podium holding one woman by a chain. He shouted out to the people in front of him and they responded by yelling at him and return. Eventually another man came up. He took the woman and handed the man some gold coins with a square inside of them. It then dawned to Ed, Winry, Ziko, and everyone else what was happening. They were being sold into slavery by some foreigners.

And slowly, one by one, everyone was sold, Winry to some noble-looking guy, Ziko to an old lady, and Ed to a rough-looking man. After meeting eyes for the last time, they were separated and were taken to their new masters' home.

* * *

Winry held in sigh as she took one more glance at Edward before being pushed forward. After walking to the man's estate, she felt out of place in the new world. Everyone she saw either had black, gray, or white hair, depending on their age, while she was a blonde. She practically stuck out like a sore thumb in the unfamiliar land.

Continuing on, the nobleman made some hand gestures, first pointing to a brush and bucket full of water, then pointing to the hallway commanding in some other tongue. The young mechanic caught on almost immediately and started to scrub the hallway, much to the pleasure of the nobleman. She stayed there for an hour scrubbing away until she was finished. At that moment, Winry realized she didn't know what to do next. So she waited there until the man came back to inspect her work.

It seemed as if he was pleased and led Winry to the servant's quarters to sleep. The second she entered the room, she caught the eyes of several other workers. Some men were staring at her body while the others stared at her bright hair and her different face. After some uneasiness, a fellow servant, no younger than twelve, handed her a uniform before pointing to a place to change. She nodded once and complied with the young girl. Soon, after changing her clothes, the twelve-year old gestured at a small chest, speaking more gibberish.

Winry went over and opened the chest, finding a mat, probably to sleep on, and a few other items such as a pillow, brush, and a few more copies of her new dark red uniform. Sighing, she folded her battered Amestrian mechanic uniform and placed it below everything in the chest before closing it. If there was a chance she was going to be staying here for the rest of her life, she should save what was left of her home country.

* * *

Turns out the old lady owned a tea shop. And he was apparently the bus boy and the janitor. The old lady handed him a broom and pointed to the entry of her shop. Nodding, he started sweeping away dust and other little bits of junk. He didn't know why he was actually listening to the old lady. Had he lost hope about going home? No, he reasoned, I'm doing this until I can escape…

His next task was retrieving and picking up the customer's orders, which seemed easy enough. There was a card on the orders he had to carry around. On it was some sort of writing that matched other cards on the tables. Now he understood. The card represents the order and the table represented the drop off point.

_Simple, _he thought to himself. Now, when was his best chance at freedom?

* * *

Roughly, Ed was thrown onto the ground by his 'master.' After yelling in some language, he pointed for Ed to step inside a room full of other uniformed men practicing the same moves. Obeying, the young alchemist did so, not sure what was soon to follow. The rough looking man shouted and the others responded with something along the lines of a 'yes,' followed by their word 'sifu,' which of course, he didn't understand.

Ed's master pointed to one of the men again, saying something. Without warning, the man lashed out with a fire whip-like technique. Out of reflex, the small alchemist ducked and retaliated by running at the man who had unleashed the fire attack. After coming close enough, he punched with his remaining arm. But the man was fast. He blocked Ed's assault and then quickly kicked him.

The young alchemist fell down to the ground. Gradually, he got up again. Seeing that he would not lie down and give up, the man in the uniform rushed forward to punch Edward in the face. He was ready this time. After ducking the blow, he readied his arm then punched upwards, performing a smooth uppercut.

Falling backwards, the man got up ready to fight again. A strong arm prevented him from doing so. After a few harsh words from Ed's master, the man scowled before bowing to the young alchemist. His master gestured for him to do the same, which he did with some reluctance.

Now all leading separate paths, the three _will _meet each other again at the crossroads of destiny. It was now only a matter of time before each make their own escape.


	7. New World, New Culture, and New Problems

Three weeks later…

Ed blocked a kick with his left hand. His movement being intercepted, Jay tried kicking the shorter fighter's head. This time, the alchemist ducked and came up with an uppercut, ending the fight. After standing up, the two of them bow, as was custom of the dojo.

"Jay," began Sifu Huang, "work on your fighting style. You need to balance your fighting style; stop using kicks all the time and start punching. If not, improve your strength and knowledge then." The master turned to Edward, "And you, keep up the good work," he commented before throwing Ed a few bronze coins.

After counting them, Ed figured he had enough to buy himself a decent meal. Life had been a little kind to him. The people of the Fire Nation, as his master had told him, cherished their honor very well. But some take it the wrong way, some, like the soldiers, take their honor a little too far. Master Huang believed in balance, explaining how he treated Ed with more humanity than others. A well treated person, the man had reasoned, has less of a reason to hurt someone than an abused one.

And he was right; Ed saw no reason to hate the man. Sure, he was treated a bit unfair at first, but Sifu Huang's student didn't know how to treat slaves. Later, he was given as a gift to the master. The master started him out with easy jobs at first. Cleaning the halls and sweeping the entrances were a few to name. But afterward, the master decided to use Ed as a sparring partner for the students who came to the dojo.

For the first few days, the alchemist could barely match their level with only one arm. But after a while, he became stronger, thus, he was rising in level. And, now, anyone who defeated him in hand to hand combat was praised immensely.

Although the life he had was somewhat satisfying, he _had _attempted to escape several times. His first time, he drew an alchemy array while everyone was asleep. He'd plan on using it to get rid of the slave cuffs on his wrists. To his surprise, the array **didn't** work. After double checking his circle, he tried again. Still, nothing happened, causing great confusion to the young alchemist. Several more tries were made; none of them gave the slightest hint of working. Having given up, he pondered why it didn't work as it should've. He never figured it out. Instead, he started focusing on learning the language. Then, in no less than a week, did he mastered the majority of Chinese.

Back in the present, Ed had returned from his lunch. Sifu Huang noticed, "Ah, Zhanshi," the old man began, "I needed to talk to you about something." Over his stay, Huang had given him a new name since slaves weren't 'allowed' to keep their real names.

After leading Ed into the practice area, Huang turned around to face his slave. "As you know, this dojo once housed some of the best Fire-benders today." A moment of silence was given to the young alchemist to absorb the information. "The previous master could see potential fire-benders by watching their movement and personality. After he passed away, he taught me how to see this-" but he was interrupted.

"What are you trying to say?"

"What I'm trying to say, Zhanshi," he began, "is that I believe you have the potential of a fire-bender… Will you accept the training I offer to you?"

The alchemist was taken back, to say the least. "Why would you train a slave how to fight?"

"It is my duty to help anyone under this roof reach their full potential. You have most of the qualities fire-benders have, aggressiveness, no hesitation, and agility, and because you have the power to do so. Not all people of the Fire Nation can bend fire. You seem to be a special case, not descending from our lines."

"But that still doesn't explain why you want to teach me," Ed interrupted.

The master closed his eyes, "Why? It is because I do not care if you escape or get away. I can always make the other students do your work."

Edward paused to consider what the man had told him. Sifu Huang had given him a place to stay, food, and some money. Accepting his training would be like thanking the old man indirectly. On the other hand, accepting training would be like agreeing to the fact that he was staying there. But then again, learning the art of Fire Bending would very useful… Finally he gave his answer, "Fine, I'll take your training."

Huang smiled, "Good. Now, the first step is breath; do as I do…"

* * *

Winry checked the soup to see if it was burning. _Looks okay…_she thought. Sprinting, she made her way over to the rice, _it's ready._ She scooped it out into a bowl before adding cooked meat. After placing it on a metal tray, she grabbed another bowl and filed it up with soup, and then she finished it off by placing a spoon and chopsticks on the tray. Picking it up carefully, she began her walk down to her master's bedroom. 

As always, he made her eat some of it first to check for poison. Only then would he eat it. "You've gotten better, Zhu," he commented as he ate. "You may leave."

She bowed, as was custom, before leaving to do her other chores. Her master was strictest with her because, unlike the others, she was here not by her own free will. So whenever she attempted to escape, she would be beaten or whipped, depending on his mood. And whenever that happened, freedom became more distant and distant, leaving in its wake, despair of ever seeing a familiar face from Amestris again.

Her time here had been harsh. At first, it seemed alright. All she had to do was cook and clean for her master, but she was often jeered at from the paid servants. Still, she couldn't do anything about it. If anyone could see her now, Winry Rockbell, being pushed around and barely a threat from her, they'd probably mistaken her for someone else… or laugh…

Winry shook her head to clear her mind. For a moment, she thought she saw something in a corner. _Probably nothing…_she thought to herself. The place had started to feel eerie after her master had moved to a mountain home, far away from civilization. As she saw it, it wasn't a very good choice. But, hey, she was a slave, what did her opinions matter to anyone?

The Fire Nation, the servants had told her it was their nationality, seem to have the best technology out of everyone else, Air, Earth, and Water. Probably the only nation with the closest thing to the mechanics back home…

"Mmph-" she was silenced by a hand over her mouth. Apparently, someone had snuck up behind her when she was deep in thought. Angrily cursing in her head, she attempted to break free but was silenced when her captor knocked her out.

* * *

She opened her eyes slightly. At first there was a slight blur, but that was repelled quickly. Right now, she was more focused on figuring out what was going on. Tied up next to her were servants from the mountain home, and, not to far away, her assumed captors. From the dim light of the dawn sun, she could make out six figures, talking and, most likely, planning. Winry began struggling, trying to get loose from her bonds. Being soldiers, as the mechanic assumed, they tied down every one of them expertly. 

Eventually, the friction between her and the rope caused enough noise to get the attention of the assumed soldiers. Muttering a curse behind her gag she held still, not knowing the soldiers next actions.

"You guys know what's wrong with this one? Her hair is a different color!" exclaimed one of them.

The taller one was the next to speak, "I heard that about three weeks ago, the Fire Nation bastards captured a foreign ship. I expect that she's one o' them."

"You really sure about that?"

He shrugged, "Well, it's the only thing I have in mind…"

"Either way, it doesn't really matter once we get these Fire Nation back to the rest of the army. After that… I don't know what will happen to them…"

"Good point." A moment of silence followed, "Right… Let's get back to our posts."

The soldiers left, but they supplied her with all the information she would need. These men were obviously a light infantry force, most likely from the Earth Kingdom judging from the color of their uniforms. Also, they seemed to specialize in stealth tasks. Even if she somehow miraculously escaped, they could hunt and track her down. After all, they were soldiers and she was just an abused slave.

Maybe once they get to the army, could she explain herself and be released. But that was also unlikely. Whatever her choice could be, she just had to wait now.

AN: Sorry I haven't updated for so long. There was a reason, yes, but it's still partly my fault. But, I'm still intent on finishing this, I know there are a lot of good fanfiction out there that have never been finished... So I'll do whatever I can to finish this one, at least.


	8. An Oppurtunity

Over the course of the week, Ed had trained and trained with the old master until his body was riddled with sores and aches. Now, he was decent fire-bender, capable of throwing flames around and such. For sure, no one in the village could beat him in a match.

No, Ed had grown too quick and clever to lose. The only one who could actually defeat him would be the Huang. Fighting Sifu Huang was way out of the alchemist's league. The old man could defeat him in a heartbeat.

But, that didn't discourage the alchemist. He could care less on who would win in a match between him and his master. Instead, he focused on researching why his alchemy did not work here. And maybe a little research on the other three cultures.

He was in his room (which was small and a little dirty) at the moment drawing several different arrays on the floor and trying each of them for any sign, even the faintest glow, of working.

"Damn it! Why won't the damn arrays #!$ing work!" he muttered to himself in his native tongue.

With anger, he started to hastily erase the arrays. While Ed was erasing the last one, someone knocked on his door before entering.

It was Sifu Huang. He bowed politely before saying, "Zhanshi, someone wants to challenge you to a duel."

"Again?" he whispered in his language before replying in Chinese, "Yes, Sifu."

And with that, he bowed before heading out into the training grounds where his challenger awaited him. Ed wasted no time as bowed before taking a stance. The other did the same. The match began now.

Both circled each other, waiting for the opponent to strike first. When neither came, the challenger rushed forward, throwing a right punch. Immediately, Ed blocked before pulling his opponent forward to throw him. The tactic failed as the challenger twisted out from the firm grip. Edward, in quick response, dropped down to do a sweep kick, succeeding this time.

His opponent quickly rolled away before getting up. In retaliation, he shot a bolt of fire. It was fast and fairly large. The alchemist managed to evade the attack, although his hair was slightly singed in the process. At that moment, Ed had a feeling his opponent was not just a challenger, looking to test his might.

He decided to kick it up a notch. Leaping into the air, he kicked in a wide arc, throwing fire as he did so. The challenger ducked and tried to fire at Ed, missing by a hair's breadth. Seizing the moment as his opponent watch if his attack had scored a hit, the alchemist rushed forward and kicked the challenger hard across the face with his automail leg, in which he favored.

There was a definite crack as his leg collided. Fortunately, that ended the fight right there. Ed's challenger had been knocked out and unable to continue.

Sifu Huang gestured to his students to put the challenger in a safe place until he woke up. Then he sent for a healer in the village to see to any injury.

It was about three hours until he finally woke up.

"You're a very good fighter despite your handicap," his opponent commented as he approached Edward.

"Thanks…" Ed paused, unsure of what to say next. "I didn't catch your name."

"My name is Roke, and I already know your name from the rumors," he stated bluntly.

"I didn't hurt you that bad, did I? I meant to use my right leg but… you know…"

Roke frowned slightly. "Yes, you did hurt me, but it's not permanent, thankfully. Also, I was curious as to why your left leg was so powerful… Is it wooden?"

"No… It's metal."

"And how did it come to that?" Roke queried.

"It's personal."

"Oh. I see." There was a slight pause between his words, "You are a man of great talent. Strong, agile, and clever-"

"Look, I'm sure you're not here to compliment me. What do you want?" Edward said crossly. He had better things to do than to stand around and waste time.

"Right to the point are we? Alright, I'll do as you ask. I have an offer for you."

The alchemist raised one eyebrow, "What kind of offer are we talking about?"

"I'm offering you an invitation (with your master's consent of course) to join the army."

The expression on Edward's face changed from curiosity to surprise and shock. "What?!" he exclaimed.

"Your skills would be greatly appreciated in the war," Roke began. "Think about it. If you rise through the ranks, you will gain glory, fame, and wealth."

Ed gritted his teeth, "You think I'm going to join the same army that sank the ship I was on? The very same one that almost killed my friends and me?!"

There was a sigh, "Look at it this way, if you join, you'll have the ability to travel and perhaps find a few survivors or two."

The alchemist opened his mouth as if to say something, he was stopped when a hand clapped onto his shoulder. Edward turned to see Sifu Huang.

"Zhanshi…" he began, "You are a remarkable person. You need not waste the majority of your life at this dojo. Although you despise the army, think of it as a window of opportunity. If by any chance that you cannot go back to your homeland, you can live out the rest of your life here, with a good future."

The old man sighed before continuing, "I also wanted to tell you this… I have kept you in my captivity for too long. It is time I give you your freedom."

At the sound of his release, Ed looked up in surprise. "You're letting me go?!" Sifu Huang nodded solemnly.

Confused with everything happening at once, the alchemist hung his head and closed his eyes to think. "This is all happening to fast," he whispered in his own language.

He stood still for a moment, the air around him tensing as he strove to make a decision. Finally, he was decided what his choice would be. "Roke… I… accept your offer. I'll join the army."

Roke nodded, "You've made the right choice, Zhanshi. Here," he handed a small bag filled with gold coins to Ed, "take these and buy yourself a few new possessions or two. Arrive at the outpost at the northern edge of the forest in three days. Any questions?"

"Yes. Who exactly are you?" Ed asked warily.

"Not many people ask that… I am a scout looking for some potential fire-benders to add to Phoenix. I work for the army as you already know, but specifically, for Fort Tro, which I mentioned earlier." Of course, he was referring to the outpost where the new recruit was suppose to rendezvous three days from now.

"And what is 'Phoenix'?"

"It is a platoon for fire-benders such as yourself. It is a name to refer to depending on the region.The Phoenix platoons are from the South, the Dragons are from the West, the Tigers are from the North, and the Oxen are from the East. There are ten platoons from each region organized by rank. Phoenix-1 would be the best of the best while Phoenix-10 would be the weakest. Because you are a green recruit, you will be enlisted in Phoenix-10. Does that answer your question?"

Roke received a nod, "Yeah… that pretty much covers what I want to know."

"See you in three days then." With that, Roke left.

Ed looked up, "What have I gotten myself into?" he asked to himself in his own language.

* * *

The first thing he did was to rent a room to stay at until his deadline. Afterwards, he went to his favorite place to eat.

"Ah…" Ed yawned slightly. The food had tasted unusually better, but that was just him. He glanced at the position of the sun. A few more hours until he would head back to the inn to rest. He spent the rest of his time spending a little of his money to buy himself a new set of clothes. Finally he went back to the inn, tired and ready to waste two more days before heading out the outpost.

As he laid in his bed, he started to think.

His last thought was: _It's funny how history repeats itself…_

_AN: I think I messed up somewhere around the fight scene… that and perhaps everything else. If you should choose to review, try to at least point something out to me and then using an example to show me. I will try to use advice in the next chapter…_** Most helpful will be added to the list of thanks at the end of the story!!**


	9. Mechanics for Dummies

They were almost there. The camp was sure to be just over the hill. And it was. Winry looked around; she saw several things like injured men, a white six-legged bison, and a whole lot of green tents. She looked up ahead and saw an enormous pine green tent. _That tent is fit for a king…_ she thought. Perhaps there was really a king in there. It wouldn't surprise her with these people.

Just then, she shoved roughly into the ground. In front of the prisoners and Winry, was a large, broad man. He wore an intricate green and yellow armor with cape flowing from his shoulders. From the proud, erect posture (and because of his armor and cape, but mostly the cape), this man was obviously highly ranked.

"What do we do with these Fire Nation, General?" one of the soldiers asked.

"What do you think?" asked the General irritably. "Just send them to a prison camp."

Winry now knew she had to speak up for herself now, she might not have another chance again, "W-wait a minute!" she exclaimed.

An escort soldier next to her pushed her forward, "Hold your tongue, filthy Fire Nation!"

"That's the point! I'm not part of the Fire Nation."

The other soldier grumbled, "Yeah… We've heard that before that before. Liars, every single one of them!"

"I'm not lying, I swear!"

"We've heard that too. Why don't you do us a favor and just shut your yappin' mouth-"

Someone else interrupted. It was a young boy. He was bald and wearing orange and yellow clothing, standing out horribly from all the green. In one of his hand was a long staff. Perched on his shoulder was a black and white lemur with big ears and a ring tail.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

The soldier bowed before answering, "Nothin', Avatar. We just got an uncooperative prisoner here."

This 'Avatar' was highly respected. For what reasons, Winry did not know. Perhaps she could persuade him to convince the soldier to let her go. "Please, tell them to release me, I'm not Fire Nation!" she pleaded.

The 'Avatar' tilted his head slightly, "She doesn't look like one of them… Why'd you guys capture her?"

A soldier shrugged, "She was at the raid site, sir."

"What's your name?" the boy asked.

"My master called me Zhu, but my real name's Winry Rockbell," she replied, obviously relieved that someone would lend an ear.

"Does that mean you were a slave or something?" he asked warily.

"Yes, I'm a foreigner captured by the Fire Nation."

"Well, that does explain a lot of things… Like your hair color and your eyes. They're different…" the 'Avatar' smiled.

"Sir?" the soldier on Winry's right asked.

"Can you let her go for just a bit? It's not like she can get away in a military camp."

The soldier frowned, "Are you sure about this Avatar Aang? She could be lying for all we know." His voice held genuine concern.

"Of course! I have an army watching my back, what could go wrong?" Aang asked cheerfully.

The soldier nodded. He quickly untied Winry, who promptly rubbed her raw wrists. "Thanks," she said.

The young boy motioned with his staff, "Here, I'll give you a tour of our encampment."

"Oh no, you don't," a new voice cried. Winry turned to see a girl about the 'Avatar's' age. She walked bare-footed wearing green and yellow clothing like everyone else. "It's time for your lessons, and I'm not about to let you undo all of your training!"

"Sorry, I have to go now. Feel free to explore," he said quickly before being dragged away by the ear.

That's just what Winry did. She walked around looking at everything and looking at their technology. It was horrible. There was almost absolutely nothing to take apart! Those that _could_ be taken apart were so simple, she didn't even need to open it up to know what's inside.

But as she wandered, she found a few soldier surrounding some sort of machine. Feeling a strong pang of interest, Winry walked closer. To her surprise, it was a tank. Sure it was more primitive than the ones back home, but it was still a tank.

"Have you figured out what's wrong with it?" shouted a soldier.

A man, possibly a mechanic, replied, "No!"

"Can I take a look?" Winry asked staring at the tank.

The soldier shook his head, "You just came in with some prisoners. How are we to know you won't hi-jack it?"

"I'm in an encampment of full of soldiers and earth-benders, how do you suppose I'll successfully escape?"

The soldier started grumbling. "Okay… you can go check it out. But no funny business, you hear?"

"Yeah," she said quickly. After climbing inside, she immediately found the problem. From what she knew about technology, there should be an input for energy to make it work. There was nothing behind the grill where the fire should be. (I think that's what you call it, contact me if you know the real name of what I call a grill)

She started to look at the wheels, they were slightly rusted and some parts were loose. Of course she had no proper tools for this.

"I think I found your problem," said Winry.

"So what is it?" asked the Earth Kingdom 'mechanic.'

"It's either there's no fire getting it to run, or the wheels need to be oiled and repaired."

A soldier stepped forward, the same one who escorted soldiers. "I thought you wasn't a part of the Fire Nation?"

"I'm not Fire Nation!" she yelled angrily

"Then how do you explain knowing their machinery?" he asked, gaining murmurs of agreement behind him.

Winry crossed her arms, exasperated, "Back in my homeland, I worked as a mechanic. The technology back home beats the primitive junk you have by a mile! If I can't understand this technology, then I can't call myself a mechanic until I do."

The soldiers started to murmur in thought. The story seemed acceptable. For now…

_AN: I haven't watched FMA for months so I think I could've gone OOC on Winry… I'm updating faster, yay! Perhaps I should make my limit 1,500 words instead of 1,000? What do you guys think? I could make it longer, but update will be slower, or I could keep it as it is and update the way I am?_

_PS: Try checking out "The Unwilling Alchemist" Bad title, but an overall decent story by me! Caution: contains fluffy pet OC. Namely, Nataki_


	10. Intermission

AN: I know a lot of you are wondering, 'What happened to Ziko?' Stay calm, I've kept him out of the story intentionally, give a chapter or two and he'll make an appearance. Until then, just relax.

An old book was pushed back into its place among the shelves. It wasn't the only book that day.

A slightly rusted armor stood between the bookcases, his hand tracing the spines of the various scripts, searching for a lead.

'_Guide to Beginner's Alchemy… The Art of Amestris… Walking Weapons: Biographies of the Greatest Alchemists… The Array… Myths and Legends of Amestris… Physics for the Advanced…Articles of the year 1880…' _the list seemed to go one forever as Alphonse read the title of each book to himself. _'Maybe this one…' _he thought as he pulled out a tome. It bore no title, it was dusty from years without use, and it had a leather cover.

Alphonse opened the book carefully to avoid damaging the brittle pages. His eyes would have widened in surprise as he scanned the page, _'This book must've been written before a printing machine…'_ Indeed, the book was hand written with flawed spelling and grammar. Luckily, it was legible enough (although it looked as if someone had written in it hastily).

It read: _From early times there have been different types of alchemists, some leaving their own mark in the world. We are no different. _

_We were… criminals of sorts. When we took it beyond our control, we were arrested and exiled to the ocean. Indeed, we were expecting death, but, we survived after a week out on sea. Only one of us, Krulos, died. _

_To our surprise, we landed in a different land, free of alchemy and power. The people here were simpletons; they understood naught of what we said. But after much frustration, we have learned their language. It has a peculiar tone to it, but enough of that. _

_In return for food, shelter, and clothes, we would teach them our specialty in…_

Alphonse never finished that sentence. The librarian had interrupted and was standing over him, "Excuse me sir, you have to leave now. Your permission form for two hours has expired."

The armor looked up, "Time flies…" he muttered to himself. "Thank you for reminding me," he said politely before continuing, "Is it fine for me to check out this book, ma'am?"

"Of course, sir," the librarian said. Al's permission form (he needed one because he couldn't use Ed's position to do research), signed by Mustang, read that he could be in the State Library for two hours and could only check out three books.

She led him to the counter before filing the book, "Bring it back in one week," she said sternly.

Al nodded and bowed before leaving hastily, he wanted to continue reading the book.

It was a nice day outside, full of sunlight and warmth. _'If Ed wasn't away, we would be sparring…' _Alphonse thought doubtfully. He missed his elder brother immensely and almost felt lonely if it wasn't for Mustang's regiment.

Speaking of the military, Alphonse noticed a black car pulled up next to him. The window rolled down, revealing a young face smoking a cigar, "You gotta come quickly, Boss. We got some urgent news about-" Havoc's face screwed up in thought. "On second thought, I'll tell you later, just get in the car."

Surprised, the armor stood there for a few seconds before snapping back to reality. Hurriedly, he climbed into the vehicle, crouching slightly because of his size. "What's going on, Second Lieutenant Havoc?" Alphonse asked slowly, not sure of what to expect."

The blond turned around, at the same time keeping his eyes on the road, "It's the expedition… They've gone missing for over a month now."

At this, Alphonse jumped, or rather tried to. "What do you mean?!" he yelled frantically.

"I mean what I mean. We haven't had communication over the course of the entire time," Havoc explained.

The armor started running a list of reason through his head/helmet. "Could it be that they've headed out of transmission range?"

"Nah. We've got a bunch of alchemists who could double the strength in there, not to mention the ones back home."

"But what if they've gone too far?"

The car came to a stop, "Listen, everything will be explained when we get there. Until then, hold your horses!" Havoc said.

Dejectedly, Alphonse looked down, "Sorry," he apologized quickly.

"No sweat, kid. I know you got it hard," Havoc smiled. For the remainder of the trip (which wasn't really that long), they were dead quiet, almost making the second lieutenant regret his decision. Almost.

Finally, they were at Central HQ. Al looked forward, feeling anxious. These were tough times, for the armor.

Following Havoc, the two made their way to Mustang's office, where the colonel sat, waiting.

"Glad you could make it," Mustang greeted.

"Yes, but what about my brother?"

The colonel sighed, "I can already guess that Second Lieutenant Havoc told you about the disappearance of the expedition."

Alphonse nodded, "Yes sir, but, what I don't understand is how three ships vanished. I personally think that they're out of radio range."

"No," the colonel shook his head. "Each week, they were supposed to make a report. This was the last one," he said as he gestured for Fuery to play the last transmission.

The anxious sergeant fumbled with the controls. _"This is the Pride reporting. We have lost a few men to sickness and hunger. Otherwise, he have seen nor heard nothing so far. We have resorted to transmuting Salt water to Fresh water for the time being. Our Alchemists can't last forever. We have to find land and water fast, or else we're doomed. Again, this is the Pride reporting, over and out."_

Al stared in disbelief, the voice had been crystal clear. Not a single static was in there, sure the voice was a bit scratchy, but what did he expect from today's technology. "So… Are they… really gone?" he asked timidly, afraid of the answer.

Hawkeye stepped forward, "We're not sure, but if we were to make an assumption of their status, we would have to say they're dead until further notice."

Unsure, Master Sergeant Fuery stepped forward and placed a hand on the metal giant's shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, I had a cousin on the expedition too… It was his first mission."

Facing the kind man, he responded, sorrow lacing his cracking voice, "I-I'm sorry t-to hear th-that, S-Sergeant…"

It tore at the regiment's heart to see a sweet young man like Alphonse reduced to this state and lack the ability to cry because of his body. None of them wanted to break the other news to the armor.

But someone had to do it. And that someone was Mustang. "Al… there's something you must know…" the colonel trailed off, fumbling with his words, which rarely happened.

Alphonse stood up suddenly and grabbed the man's shoulder. He shook the colonel as he yelled, "What?! What else do you have to tell me?! That-"

"Alphonse Elric! Release the colonel and calm down before I have to shoot you!"

The armor turned to see Hawkeye with a handgun trained on him. Slowly, he dropped Mustang and stared at his hands. "I'm… I'm sorry," he said quietly, obviously ashamed at what just happened.

Sighing with relief, the first lieutenant tucked away her weapon, "It's okay, we understand your actions. Just calm down as the colonel explains."

"Thank you, Hawkeye," Mustang breathed. He quickly regained his composure, "Alphonse, before your brother left, Pinako Rockbell came down with pneumonia."

"Did she die?" Al interrupted.

"Let me continue."

The armor looked away in shame, "Sorry…"

The colonel took a deep breath before continuing, "As I was saying, Pinako Rockbell became ill. According to resources, treatment was costly, so in return for serving in the military for one mission as a mechanic, Winry Rockbell would be paid enough to pay for her grandmother's treatment."

Then it dawned to Alphonse, "She joined the expedition…" he said silently.

"I'm afraid so."

The armor looked down. The two people closest to him were gone with one mission. "Is Pinako alive?" he asked in a monotone voice.

"Yes, Winry was paid when she accepted the job."

Al nodded before leaving, thinking deeply. What good would Human transmutation do now? Ed was gone, and he certainly couldn't do this alone. No, he and his brother was a team. But until the armor could pick up the pieces of his life again, first, he had to watch out for the Homunculi.

After what seemed like an eternity, Al was in the place where his brother and him slept, their apartment. Feeling depressed and gloomy, the armor sat down and stared at the ceiling, as if it was going to fall down on him any minute.

A thought flashed through his mind. Should he give up? Alphonse removed his helmet and placed his thumb on his seal. Would he actually do it? His limbs were shaking now. Would he kill himself and be over with?

No.

He removed his armored hand from his seal and replaced his helmet.

Alphonse thought back to Hawkeye's words, _"We're not sure, but if we were to make an assumption of their status, we would have to say they're dead **until further notice**."_

There was a small chance that Ed and Winry are alive, he wouldn't throw away his life until he was one hundred percent sure that they were dead. If they come back… **When** they come back, he wouldn't disappoint them.

With renewed spirit, Alphonse reached for the book he checked out earlier from the library. He began to pick up from his last sentence.


End file.
